AUG. 10, 2005 | As the 6- to 9-year olds crowded around the giant blue-haired doll, Stuffee, to get a lesson in the food groups and healthy eating habits, it wasn’t hard to imagine that any of them might grow up to become a doctor, nurse or other health care professional.

On this late July day, however, it was deciding in what food group lettuce belongs, rather than career choices that interested the approximately 35 students at the fourth Summer Science Discovery Camp, co-sponsored by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) through its Center for Diversity Affairs. But for camp organizers, the camp provides a perfect opportunity to introduce students – especially minority students or those from economically-disadvantaged backgrounds – to possible future careers.

“This is special because we are targeting these students at an early age,” said Billy Thomas, M.D., associate dean of diversity affairs in the UAMS College of Medicine and creator of the Summer Science Discovery Camp. “This age is a real optimal time to expose them to math and science – to build that interest while they are young.”

About 200 students from around central Arkansas between ages 6 and 12 participated in the three camp sessions, each a week long, this year. The Summer Science Discovery Program is a nonprofit science enrichment program, funded by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. It is a collaboration between UAMS and the Museum of Discovery, where the camp is held.

The students spend the week involved in a variety of activities, with an emphasis on hands-on experiences. There are science experiments, robot demonstrations, problem-solving exercises and visits by animals native to Arkansas. There is a “Wizard’s Lab” where the students learn about the forms of matter: solids, liquids and gases, or there are experiments and demonstrations involving electricity in the “Electric Theater.”

In a mock emergency room, the campers learn about the instruments used in treating patients and find out what a day is like in the ER. Then they get the chance to put on the medical scrubs themselves and role play the parts of physician, nurse and technician.

Then there is Stuffee, the giant blue-haired interactive doll, complete with a beating heart and internal organs. After talking about good eating habits with the session leader, the students get to unzip Stuffee’s chest and see his internal organs learn how they function.

“This camp gives us a chance to involve the students in activities and subjects in a way they might not see in school,” Thomas said.

Thomas said that the ultimate payoff for the camp might not be evident until the campers enter high school or college and the early exposure to the health sciences could influence their study interests. As a rule academic enrichment programs are very difficult to evaluate on a short term basis, he said.

Thomas said that in an effort to examine short term outcomes, program director Will Torrence, Ph.D., along with program coordinator Kim Blann Anderson and research intern Alvin Irby developed an evaluation tool to measure the short term success of the program through pre-test and post-test measures of student interest in science and math.

In the past, the tests have shown those interests increase from the beginning of the camp to the end. Thomas also pointed to a pre-test of student perceptions in which some minority students had difficulty identifying a minority health care professional.

Thomas noted the importance of a health care work force that is diverse and representative of the population it serves.

“If you look at the types of patients we see, we serve a very diverse population, with racial, cultural, economic, and ethnic differences,” Thomas said. “A diverse work force delivers better health care to a diverse population, making it possible to overcome barriers in language or other differences that can directly impact the level of care.”

In addition, he said, with an aging population and existing shortages in health care professions – it’s vital to use every opportunity to promote careers in health care. One of those students fascinated with Stuffee today might find a career as a dietician tomorrow.

Links on This Page

2004 UAMS Summer Discovery Camp Provides Learning Opportunities: http://www.uams.edu/update/absolutenm/templates/news2003v2.asp?articleid=1589&zoneid=18

UAMS Center for Diversity Affairs: http://www.uamsoma.org/index.php

Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation: www.wrfoundation.org

Diversity Efforts Improve Health Care, Says Diversity Affairs Dean: http://www.uams.edu/update/absolutenm/templates/news2003v2.asp?articleid=2812&zoneid=18

UAMS Dietetics and Nutrition program: http://www.uams.edu/chrp/dietnutrition/default.asp

© 2004 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. “UAMS,” “UAMS Medical Center,” “UAMS Online,” “UAMS Today,” “UAMS Update,” “uams.edu,” and “Here’s to Your Health” are marks of UAMS.